An electrical connector which is terminated to ends of wires often has a strain relief which prevents any stresses that are applied to the wires from being transferred to wire joints in the connector, thereby preventing damage to the wire joints or pullout of the wires from the connector. Typical strain reliefs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,108,527; 4,575,174; and 4,606,596. Each of these strain reliefs includes mating upper and lower cover members which are configured to substantially surround a connector housing. The cover members clamp onto wires at a rear of the connector housing and engage a flange or forward face of the connector housing. When the wires are subjected to a force tending to pull the wires out of the housing, the force is transferred by the cover members to the flange or forward face of the housing, thereby bypassing the wire joints and protecting the joints from damage.
The above-described strain reliefs are not well-suited for a panel mount electrical connector which resides in a cutout of a mounting panel because a cutout which is sized to accommodate a connector without a strain relief cannot accommodate a connector with a strain relief, and vice versa. Further, the typical strain relief cover requires a relatively large cutout. There is a need for an electrical connector which improves the mounting of a strain relief or other accessory on the connector.